Here is the thank you card that the AP students signed for him!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Bringing in a Visiting Artist
Last week, I was able to bring in a visiting artist, also a friend of mine, who does abstract painting and also graphic character design, and some video game design. He shared his portfolio with the AP Studio students, discussing his process and the importance of continuing to create art no matter what. He shared how he was able to network with other artists via blog forums online that could be helpful to the students. Networking and networking early on is important!
Here is the thank you card that the AP students signed for him!
Here is the thank you card that the AP students signed for him!
Visual Journals
Here are some past weeks of visual journals I have finally gotten around to scanning in.
Friday, October 21, 2011
My Finished Batik
I finally had the opportunity to finish my own batik design. Here are the results!
After I created my design, I transferred it to brown craft paper.
Then I waxed out my design on the craft paper, dyed it, ironed out the wax, and this is the final product!
This is my piece in front of the lights.
Messy, but I love it! They are stylized ribcages so the splattering of red gives it a gorey, bloody feel.
After I created my design, I transferred it to brown craft paper.
Then I waxed out my design on the craft paper, dyed it, ironed out the wax, and this is the final product!
This is my piece in front of the lights.
Messy, but I love it! They are stylized ribcages so the splattering of red gives it a gorey, bloody feel.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Yesterday was my first experience with parents in the school setting. I was able to join my CT for the conference blocks that went from 2-5pm and 6-8pm. All the teachers were set up in the cafeteria or community room where parents were able to sit and chat with their children's teachers.
The conferences were steady and started off on a good note. It was nice to see the parents that care and support the program. They tell us how much their children love art and our classes. However, a few parents in, we had a conference that just escalated in a horrible direction. This parent was accusing my CT and myself of not teaching their son and expecting him to have natural talent in order to pass the class. She was putting words in my CT's mouth and twisting everything that we tried to explain to her about our expectations, objectives, the classroom routines, etc. What it came down to was that her son did not turn in a journal assignment which resulted in a zero in the grade book bring his grade from a B to a C+. She kept going on about how ridiculous the arts are and how she wouldn't care if they got cut. She said she wasn't going to let ART lower her son's GPA and therefore lose his scholarship to the school. My teacher stuck to her guns and told her that we would look into the grade, but if he did not turn it in, it was going to stay a zero because that is her policy. This did not make this parent happy and she demanded a meeting with administration.
I believe that my teacher handled it well. She apologized for any misunderstandings about what the class is about, etc. even though the parent chose not to listen. It frustrated me immensely, but I did not interject much because I did not want to upset her more. But, it was truly an experience worth being a part of. My CT told me that in her 6 years, that was the worst conference she has ever had. She immediately gave a heads up to the vice principal and principal and they fully supported my CT and how she handled it.
The rest of the evening was nothing but supportive parents and positive experiences. It was a pleasure meeting the parents that attended and hearing about how much they love art class and art club. Hearing how positive of an experience the students are having is wonderful and we know that we are doing it right.
The conferences were steady and started off on a good note. It was nice to see the parents that care and support the program. They tell us how much their children love art and our classes. However, a few parents in, we had a conference that just escalated in a horrible direction. This parent was accusing my CT and myself of not teaching their son and expecting him to have natural talent in order to pass the class. She was putting words in my CT's mouth and twisting everything that we tried to explain to her about our expectations, objectives, the classroom routines, etc. What it came down to was that her son did not turn in a journal assignment which resulted in a zero in the grade book bring his grade from a B to a C+. She kept going on about how ridiculous the arts are and how she wouldn't care if they got cut. She said she wasn't going to let ART lower her son's GPA and therefore lose his scholarship to the school. My teacher stuck to her guns and told her that we would look into the grade, but if he did not turn it in, it was going to stay a zero because that is her policy. This did not make this parent happy and she demanded a meeting with administration.
I believe that my teacher handled it well. She apologized for any misunderstandings about what the class is about, etc. even though the parent chose not to listen. It frustrated me immensely, but I did not interject much because I did not want to upset her more. But, it was truly an experience worth being a part of. My CT told me that in her 6 years, that was the worst conference she has ever had. She immediately gave a heads up to the vice principal and principal and they fully supported my CT and how she handled it.
The rest of the evening was nothing but supportive parents and positive experiences. It was a pleasure meeting the parents that attended and hearing about how much they love art class and art club. Hearing how positive of an experience the students are having is wonderful and we know that we are doing it right.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Taking Over Even More Classes
This week I officially took over 4 out of the 5 classes I'll be responsible for before the conclusion of my 9 weeks at the high school. The classes I have are two sections of Art Fundamentals, Ceramics, and Photo. I imagined it would be much more stressful, but since I know the students well, it was a fairly easy transition for myself and the students.
My biggest transition was taking over both Art Fundamentals classes because they are the largest classes and also the classes that require the most guidance. I introduced watercolor to their classes and they were very responsive. Most were very enthralled with my demonstration and very eager to get started. I still have some chatty students that do not pay complete attention during my demos that I need to address when I first notice it. I find myself ignoring them, especially if I notice the rest of the class is ignoring them as well. I'm working on my waiting time for them to give me their complete attention, but feel the need to keep going and not waste any time. I have also noticed that the more used to me they get, the more they are beginning to push the envelope. But I noticed that I am putting a stop to the behavior sooner than later by calling them out on it and holding them accountable for their actions. When I put rules in place, the students are beginning to police each other more and classroom management becomes much easier and orderly.
Photo is also a bit difficult because I think the students know that I am not 100% confident in f-stop times and time intervals for prints. I take to heart "If you don't have it, fake it" in regards to having confidence about things and that is exactly what I've been trying to do in this class. The practice is definitely helping me, and I feel I have a handle on how to run a basic photography class.
Ceramics took off with their clay portraits project that I introduced on Monday. Many were excited to get started, but many were also leery about getting their self portrait to look like themselves. I just told them to try their best and many are jumping right in.
With all the new lessons being presented this week, I took the opportunity to have the journal quote for the week be "It is better to plunge into the unknown than to try to make sure of everything" by Gerald Lescanbeault. I found the quote online and felt it was perfect to have the students reflect on that, knowing that they are starting new things and that it's okay to take risks and try even if they're unsure. I feel it's something everyone can live by. Overall, it was a great week and I only have 3 weeks left! Next week, I will be attending a WAEA board meeting as well as the WAEA conference. It should be a fun filled weekend!
My biggest transition was taking over both Art Fundamentals classes because they are the largest classes and also the classes that require the most guidance. I introduced watercolor to their classes and they were very responsive. Most were very enthralled with my demonstration and very eager to get started. I still have some chatty students that do not pay complete attention during my demos that I need to address when I first notice it. I find myself ignoring them, especially if I notice the rest of the class is ignoring them as well. I'm working on my waiting time for them to give me their complete attention, but feel the need to keep going and not waste any time. I have also noticed that the more used to me they get, the more they are beginning to push the envelope. But I noticed that I am putting a stop to the behavior sooner than later by calling them out on it and holding them accountable for their actions. When I put rules in place, the students are beginning to police each other more and classroom management becomes much easier and orderly.
Photo is also a bit difficult because I think the students know that I am not 100% confident in f-stop times and time intervals for prints. I take to heart "If you don't have it, fake it" in regards to having confidence about things and that is exactly what I've been trying to do in this class. The practice is definitely helping me, and I feel I have a handle on how to run a basic photography class.
Ceramics took off with their clay portraits project that I introduced on Monday. Many were excited to get started, but many were also leery about getting their self portrait to look like themselves. I just told them to try their best and many are jumping right in.
With all the new lessons being presented this week, I took the opportunity to have the journal quote for the week be "It is better to plunge into the unknown than to try to make sure of everything" by Gerald Lescanbeault. I found the quote online and felt it was perfect to have the students reflect on that, knowing that they are starting new things and that it's okay to take risks and try even if they're unsure. I feel it's something everyone can live by. Overall, it was a great week and I only have 3 weeks left! Next week, I will be attending a WAEA board meeting as well as the WAEA conference. It should be a fun filled weekend!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Art Fundamentals Colored Pencil Animals
This week, the Art Fundamentals finished up their first project with me. Here are some of the results.
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